Debut '19 Interview: Mara Rutherford & Crown of Coral and Pearl

In 2019 our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and spread the word about their debut novels. Follow us this year as we pick the mind of the 2019 debuts and chat with them. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, twitter chats and more! 

Over the summer of 2018 we had tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books and Mara responded with her novel CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL and we have been obsessed with it since. We are so excited to have Mara on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

About Mara! 

Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world with her marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a Master's degree in Cultural Studies from the University of London. When she's not writing or chasing around her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. She currently lives in Belgrade, Serbia, with her family and a small red muppet named Mishka.

Keep up with Mara: Website / Instagram / Twitter / Goodreads 

Interview!

The Book Bratz: How does it feel that CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL is debuting this year?

Mara: Honestly, it doesn't feel real yet! I've been waiting fifteen years for this and until I'm holding a copy of my book in my hands, I'm not sure I'll believe it. But I am so excited to finally share my writing and characters with the world, and hopefully to connect with readers!

The Book Bratz: In the length of a tweet (280 characters!) can you give us an overall summary of CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL?

Mara: When her beloved twin is tragically injured, Nor must leave their ocean village behind and impersonate her as Princess of Ilara. But Nor soon discovers that the power-hungry prince has plans that will destroy her home, unless she can steal the crown and save the kingdom first.

The Book Bratz: Where did your inspiration for CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL come from?

Mara: I wanted to write a story about twin sisters because my own twin is so important to me, but I wanted to focus on what it means to be an individual, the importance of beauty in a culture, and the definition of home. This book was also my first attempt at creating a fantasy world - I'd only written contemporary fantasy up until this novel, and I wasn't sure I had what it takes. Hopefully I succeeded!

The Book Bratz: Is there anything from your personal life that you used as inspiration in CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL?

Mara: The relationship between the main character, Nor, and her twin, Zadie, is inspired by my own relationship with my sister in a lot of ways. I have obviously never left an ocean village for a mountain castle, but I have moved many times in my life (including to Russia, Peru, and now Serbia), so I have often felt like a fish out of water, as Nor does in the book. At least she speaks the language!

The Book Bratz: Can you share a secret about CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL that not many people know yet?

Mara: Since we're still working on it, I can't guarantee anything, but I have heard there is going to be a map and I am so excited!

The Book Bratz: If you had to create Twitter or Instagram handles for your characters, what would they be?

Mara: For Nor, the main character: @nobodyswavechild and for Zadie, her twin: @theworldisyouroyster. Their mom would have to be @motherofpearl. 

The Book Bratz: Do you have any ideas you plan to visit after CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL?

Mara: I am currently working on a contemporary fantasy about a girl seeking revenge on the wishing well spirit who cursed her family.

About CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL!

Title: Crown of Coral and Pearl

Author: Mara Rutherford

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Publication Date: September 1st 2019

Buy CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL: Amazon / B&N/ Indie Bound / Book Depository 

Summary: Impetuous and outspoken, seventeen-year-old Nor is used to living in her identical twin sister’s shadow. As the most beautiful girl in Varenia, Zadie is destined to marry the prince of Ilara, heir to all the ocean realms. Though free from her mother’s strict constraints, Nor still feels trapped. Just once, she longs to see Ilara’s glittering towers and encounter its dashing prince… But when Zadie is injured, Nor is chosen to replace her. And she soon finds Prince Ceren is as forbidding and cold as llara, a realm carved into a mountain and devoid of light. Ceren’s plans would strip Varenia of its most precious resources—a decree Nor will risk anything to stop. And through Ceren’s half brother, Talin, she pursues an even darker mystery rooted in the failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen—and Ilara’s sinister secret history. Now Nor must negotiate the treacherous protocols and insidious deceptions of a dazzling court where lies reign and obsession rules. And discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

Thank you so much Mara for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL and wait for it to be out in the world on September 1st! 

ARC Review: Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Title: Crown of Coral and Pearl
Author: Mara Rutherford 
Genre: Fantasy 
Source: Inkyard Press via NetGalley
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publication Date: August 27th 2019

Summary: 

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine… Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land. Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave. In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

*Thank you so much Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Crown of Coral and Pearl!*

I've been working with Mara on an interview for the blog for the past few weeks, so I was super excited when I was approved on NetGalley for Crown of Coral and Pearl. I blew through this book in two sittings, it was a quick read with an intriguing story line that captured me from page one.

I really loved the bond between Nor and Zadie. Being twins and being groomed to become the next princess of Varenia. Especially how after Nor's accident and how the attention that was split among the both of them was now mostly focused on Zadie. Something that was devastating and that had lasting consequences for Nor made the bond between the twins even stronger. The story shows how far you will go for the people you love and the sacrifices are willing to make for their happiness. I know for me I would go to the ends of the earth for my sister and though we are not twins everything that Nor did for Zadie in this novel, I would do for my sister. Hands down. No questions asked. 

I really enjoyed the two different settings the story takes place in. The first half Crown of Coral and Bone take place in the sun on the ocean and Nor feels free. She has the water, her sister and Sami and that is all she ever needed. The people of Varenia get a long, they have a fair governor and though it isn't easy to find pearls, they manage. The second half takes place on land in the darkness of the mountain castle that has little sunlight and keeps Nor caged and in the dark unlike her previous life. 

The only issue I had with Crown of Coral and Bone is that I felt that the romance was a bit rushed. I get that Nor's situation was dire. But there was very little development in it before she was "in love" with this character. Don't get me wrong, the romance still managed to make me swoon and I loved it. I just wish it wasn't as rushed and there was more development. 

Overall I really enjoyed Crown of Coral and Pearl and I am crossing my fingers for a sequel. I would love to see where these character's are going to go next and the fall out of the events of the end of the novel. If this does happen to be a stand alone, I've created a happily ever after for all of them. But fingers crossed!!! 

Review: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Title: The Unhoneymooners
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback, 432 Pages
Published May 2019

Summary: Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man. Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

I've always been a huge rom-com fan, particularly when the story involves my favorite enemies-to-lovers trope, so when our good friend Dana from over at Dana Square recommended this one to me, I immediately knew it was going to be the kind of story I loved, and I ended up pre-odering it on the spot. I ended up being really glad that I did, because this story hooked me and refused to let me go, and I'll definitely be recommending it to more of my friends in the future. So without further ado, let's get into my review!

As the summary explains, Olive and Ethan are mortal enemies, for more reasons than one. It definitely doesn't help that their siblings are about to get married, meaning they'll be spending a whole lot more time with each other. Even more time than they expect, after everyone at the wedding gets sick from the buffet, and they find out that their siblings want them to take the non-refundable honeymoon trip to Hawaii, posing as a married couple, so it doesn't go to waste. Which should be easy enough...until Olive runs into her new boss in Hawaii, and the charade gets all the more personal. While they try to keep up a persona of being happily married and in love, Olive and Ethan also have to find out how to just manage to tolerate each other...and it's safe to say that things get a little bit messy.

I really, really enjoyed reading this book. I really loved the playful banter between Olive and Ethan, particularly when they called each other by names that were anything other than their actual names. I noticed that those were the parts of this book where I found myself laughing out loud the most. Speaking of laughing out loud, this book was so dang hilarious that I found it so hard to put down! I managed to read nearly 200 pages in a single day just because I was so addicted to the story and didn't want to stop reading. I even had to spend some time at a family party, and the entire time I sitting there, I was just thinking about how I couldn't wait to get back home, curl up, and keep on reading. It's been a long time since I've been so emotionally invested in a book like that, so I'm really glad that I got to experience that again with this one, especially as I test the waters and start to read some non-YA books in addition to my usual YA reading. It's safe to say that I've been enjoying the broadening of my reading so far!

Something else that I really loved about this book was the way the enemies-to-lovers trope was played out without seeming too dramatic, forced, or unrealistic, if that makes any sense. Olive and Ethan didn't get along very well at first, but it was clear that there was still some level of respect there. A lot of their "hate" was just playful banter, and a lot of snide remarks in Olive's head, which made for an amusing reading experience. The sexual tension literally radiated off of the two of them, and it was clear that it was just a matter of time before the enemies stance tipped into lovers territory -- which I wasn't disappointed about seeing coming from a mile away, because a) this is an enemies-to-lovers book, so that's to be expected, and also b) because it made the tension so much more interested and made me so much more invested a reader! Ethan is definitely a cocky, super cute guy, and I found myself swooning over him against my better judgement (in the beginning, when it's all hate), just like Olive was.

(Spoilers in this paragraph, so skip to the next one if you want to avoid them!) The only thing that I wasn't super thrilled about with this book was the way that Ethan seemed to be so blindingly defensive of Dane when the truth comes to light about his cheating. I understand the idea of being loyal to your family members and everything, but cheating is something that I draw a hard and fast line at. I know that's not something I can critique in the writing style itself, since it both serves as a crucial plot point and also because that's my own personal stance on cheating, so I'm not saying that this was an actual flaw with the book in any way. I'm just saying that from my own standpoint as a reader with my own personal values, I found that part of the book a little tough to get through, because I couldn't believe that Ethan would so blatantly side with such a sleazy guy, regardless of if he was his brother or not. But again, that's just my own personal opinion, and everyone is free to read it differently!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Unhoneymooners. I think it was the perfect balance of a sexy, slow-burn romance while also playing off of that enemies aspect, and setting the entire thing in a gorgeous Hawaiian island (with *~one bed~*) is just icing on the rom-com cake. If you're a fan of The Hating Game, then I'd definitely recommend picking this one up -- it's safe to say that reading my first Christina Lauren book was a success, and I'll be eagerly devouring the rest of their books throughout my summer!

Book Tag: Mid-Year Freak Out!

I am not going to lie, I been really wanting to do this tag since I first spotted it a few weeks ago but I couldn't find a date to post it. Due to me (Amber) double scheduling a review there was a free day only a few weeks late to post! 

Quick thoughts on my reading progress so far this year: My initial goal was to read 100 books this year but after working almost full time, entering a relationship and having a mental health slip my reading faltered a lot. I lowered my goal down to 80 and I am currently kicking this year's challenge's ass. 

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019?

I have to pick one!? What kind of punishment is this!? I chose three because I couldn't choose just one. Crier's War by Nina Varela, The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring & Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman are among 3 of the best books I've read this year! 

  

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019?

Hands down, Immunity by Erin Bowman! Check out me review for it here! 

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to?

There are so many! Is another answer that I am going to have to list multiple books for. The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Aza & Nocturna by Maya Motayne! 

   

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

Hands down I am super excited for Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo! She is one of my favorite authors and I am super excited to read her adult debut. 

5. Biggest disappointment?

There were a few books that I was actually disappointed in this year. Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich, Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly & American Royals by Katharine McGee. 

  

6. Biggest surprise?

My biggest surprise this year was The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I loved the idea of dragons but the book is a brick and I wasn't too sure how much of it I was going to be able to get through. I ended up loving it and it has become one of my favorites! 

7. Newest fictional crush?

Lee from Fireborne by Rosaria Munda. There was just something about his character I fell for the moment I began to read his story.

8. Newest favorite character?

The entire cast of Aurora Rising! 

10. Book that made you cry?

There actually hasn't been one this year! 

11. Book that made you happy?

I never thought a book about a teen seeking an abortion would make me laugh as hard as Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks & Ted Caplan did. It was one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. 

12. Favorite book to film adaptation you saw this year?

I actually haven't see any this year yet! 

 13. Favorite review you’ve written this year?

This is another tough question! I feel like my reviews aren't that great to begin with, so picking I favorite I have written? Ummmm I am going to go with Reverie by Ryan La Sala! My review isn't live on the blog yet, but it will be soon! 

14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

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Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️ I’m gonna spend some of today reading before my boyfriend comes over. I read BLOODLEAF by @crysrensmith in October and I loved it so much that I am rereading again before it is out in the world in March! 💕 💕 QOTD: What are you currently reading? 💕 💕 { #Bloodleaf #crystalsmith #class2k19books #novel19s #magic #princess #romance #ilovetoread #teenbooks #bookmail #bookblogger #books #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeatures #bookhaul #reading #bookphotography #bookworm #booknerd #bookaholic #readingtime #ireadya #whitebarncandle #booksofinstagram #fantasy #currentlyreading #ya #tbr}

A post shared by The Book Bratz (@bookbratz) on Feb 14, 2019 at 8:41am PST

 15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Enjoy this list...

   

   

There is my mid-year freak out! I had a lot of fun doing this tag and I hope I get the opportunity to next year as well. Have you read any of these books? Did you do the tag this year? Let me know below so I can check out your tag!